Blood Red Strawberry
by Wanda Ginny Greenleaf
Summary: "I will get revenge for what was stolen from me!" After an incident where her mother is killed, something evil is stirring in Ichigo's heart. Will her friends be able to save her, or will she fully become Hellgirl?
1. Chapter 1

**Blood Red Strawberry**

**Moon: Hi everyone!**

**Ichigo: (hides in closet) It's her again!**

**Moon: (rolls eyes) Come on, Ichigo. Just because I'm writing another horror story-**

**Ichigo: That's the very reason I'm concerned! Celestial Moonlight Blade does not own TMM or MMP! (scared).**

**Moon: Oh fine...Katani, help me unchain the closet...start!**

**Chapter 1: Blood Is Spilled**

**With Ichigo**

Ichigo walked down the sidewalk from Cafe Mew Mew, her bones aching from the last alien attack. "Wonder how mom'll react to seeing me all bruised up like this." The cat girl wondered aloud. "Falling down the stairs was my last excuse...maybe I should tell her that I was playing a crazy game of soccer. No, she knows me too well to fall for that..."

Ichigo sighed. She hated lying to her mother all the time. It was tempting-really tempting-to tell her mother about it, to let out the pain and fear she kept penned up inside her all the time, and to be assured that she wasn't a freak. But she couldn't. It was too dangerous, and she couldn't bear it if her sweet mother ended up hurt or worse.

As she headed downtown, she was surrounded by the bustle of the city. A radio broadcast was coming from somewhere, most likely a nearby building. "...an increasing rate of atrocities have been occurring around this neighborhood, many being blamed on Marik Adeio, a recently escaped convict. If you live in this area, be sure to keep your doors locked and report any suspicious behavior immediately..."

Ichigo sighed. "Man, I've been fighting aliens for so long it's almost weird to hear about things like this. I need a reality check..." She made a mental note to turn on the household security system before she went to bed and hurried towards her home.

She reached her block and frowned. It was unusually quiet. Usually, the kids a few houses away would be playing in their front yard. They always did that. Maybe they weren't home yet? Ichigo stepped around the corner and headed for her house.

The door had been knocked open, and was now creaking lazily in the evening breeze, suspended by one hinge. Ichigo suddenly felt cold inside.

"Mom? Dad?" She called tentatively. No response came. Ichigo gingerly pushed the door open.

Her house had been ransacked. The couch was tipped over, the living room window smashed, and all sorts of books, toys and trinkets were lying all over the floor.

Ichigo felt her heart speeding up. "Mom? Dad?" She yelled. Again, no response.

She rushed through the house, checking the basement and the upstairs rooms. Neither of her parents were there. They had this day off. They were supposed to be here.

Ichigo reached the kitchen and froze. Blood had been dripped onto the floor, and it was leading away, out of the house.

A loud cracking noise interrupted her thoughts. It was coming from her backyard. Abandoning all reason, Ichigo ran for the back deck and threw the door open.

Her mother was lying on her side, arms splayed out at an awkward angle. Blood was pooling in the grass near her. A ragged-haired guy with a gun and a bulging bag stood nearby, looking as stunned as she was.

Ichigo opened her mouth, horror constricting her throat for a few terrible moments.

"NOOOOOOOOO! MOTHER!"

Blindly, she rushed down the stairs, almost tripping over her own feet, and knelt next to her mother. The guy just stood there, as if trying to decide to run or what.

Sakura blinked a few times and looked up at her distraught daughter. "Ichigo...not safe...go..." She whispered.

"Mommy, don't talk." Ichigo choked, seconds away from bawling her eyes out. "Just stay still, I'm going to call an ambulance, you'll be fine..."

Sakura coughed, blood splashing Ichigo's hand. Ichigo dug around for her cellphone, only to realize it had been in her room.

"Ichigo...mommy loves you...be safe...be st-strong..."

"Mommy?" Ichigo gasped. Her mother said nothing else. She took in a few more shallow breaths, and then she was still.

"Mommy?" The cat-girl shook her gently. "No, mommy, wake up. We have to get you out of here. No, don't leave me, mommy please-no, don't-" her vision blurred with tears. Sakura's body slowly grew cool under her hands. "**MOMMY**!" She screamed.

She cradled her mother's dead body, sobbing so hard she became dizzy from lack of air. Her mother was dead. "It's all m-my f-fault." If she hadn't been away serving some blonde bimbo at the cafe, she could have gotten back sooner and prevented this. Some protector of justice she was! She couldn't even protect her own mother!

There was an awkward rustle. Ichigo looked up, almost blinded by tears, to see the shooter climb over the fence.

A sudden, inhuman rage took hold of her. Her vision bled red. How dare he! How dare he run away! He robbed her house and killed her mother! How dare he!

Leaving her mother's body, she ran for the fence, her cat skills helping her scale it easily. She hit the ground running, the man's filthy scent giving away his retreat path.

Ichigo screamed something completely foreign to her. "Mew Mew Hellcat, Metamorphosis!"

She was engulfed in a red light. When it was gone, her outfit was different. It was a blood red vest and jeans, complete with heavy black combat boots. Black streaks appeared in her blood red hair. There was a needle-like prick in her fingers as long claws stretched from her fingertips. Her choker became somewhat of a necklace, her now red and black pendant swinging as she ran. One of her hands clutched the handle of some sort of whip.

The man reached and alley. Ichigo swung her whip, knocking over a dumpster and effectively cutting off her escape.

The guy turned around slowly. "W-W-Who are you?" He stammered.

Ichigo stared at him, red catlike eyes glowing eerily. "You...killed...my...mother..." She snarled slowly.

"You killed MY MOTHER!" Her burning whip lashed out straight and became a sword, the surface of it burning like the sun.

She stabbed him through the ribs. His blood splattered the ground and the side of the building. Ichigo wrenched it out, staring down at the miserable creature who killed her mother.

"Die!" She snarled. Then she cut off his head.

%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&

Ichigo stumbled blindly back to her house, not bothering to de-transform. She dragged the bag with her, although she could care less about its contents. She jumped over the fence, and stumbled to a kneel next to her mother.

Sakura looked as if she was sleeping. One hand was around the locket she always wore, which had a picture of her family in it.

Ichigo stared mournfully at her dead parent, grief and an unholy rage battling inside her. "WHYYYY!" She screamed in anguish. "**What have I done wrong? I put my life on the line to protect humankind from evil! I gave up almost everything I had! Is this how I am repaid? I will never forgive them for this! Never!" **

She stood up, screaming her hatred to the heavens. **"I will get revenge for what was stolen from me!" **

She dropped to her dead mother, tenderly tucking her hair behind her ears. "My mother." She sobbed. Then she jumped to the rooftops and began to ran, tears running down from her maddened eyes like liquid hellfire.

Something was wrong.

Mew Ichigo was dead.

Hellgirl had risen in her place.

**End Chapter**

**This idea came to me a while ago. I've been looking for insane!Ichigo fics for a little while, but I've only found a handful, and the one that caught my interest was only one chapter long. So I decided to give it a spin. **

**Like it? Hate it? The only way I'll know is if you review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Blood Red Strawberry**

**Hellcat/Ichigo: …**

**Moon: Is it wrong that it hasn't bothered me that you aren't saying anything?**

**Hellcat/Ichigo: (tries to scratch my arms off)**

**Moon: Hey! Watch it! (shoves her into the closet) I really need to barricade this thing. (shivers) Anyway, I do not own TMM or MMP! On with the sto-crap! Someone get me a chair! (standing against closet)**

**Chapter 2: Madness**

**With Ichigo**

Ichigo sat on the top floor of Tokyo Tower, staring emotionlessly across the land.

She should be hungry, she thought. She hadn't eaten since yesterday. But for some reason it didn't bother her. Had her father found her mother's body yet?

The image had been engraved into her memory, taunting her whenever she closed her eyes.

_Take it back. Take back what the ungrateful ones have stolen from you. _Ichigo clutched her forehead.

"Shut up." She growled. On top of everything, she had a voice in her head. It sounded like her, but not like her. Was this insanity? It was impossible to tell. Ichigo just felt an icy hole where her heart was. Or had used to be.

Frowning, Ichigo put a hand on her chest. She couldn't feel anything, no warmth, her heartbeat faint, so very faint. She stared blankly, unable to summon the shock and fear she should be holding when she realized this.

_-_

"SHUT UP!" Ichgio screamed, the sound of her own voice stunning her. It was low and eerie, and didn't sound like her at all.

_Take it back._

Ichigo ran her fingers through her hair, half-tempted to rip it out.

_Take it back. _The voice repeated maliciously.

"Stop." She gasped.

_Get your revenge._

"I couldn't..."

_**KILL.**_ **_Kill them all they don't deserve to live-_**

The ringing of her cellphone drove the voice away. Ichigo slid her hand into her pocket and pulled it out, staring at the caller ID. Ryou. What? Was she not allowed a day to mourn? _I suppose it doesn't matter if some silly human I love gets killed as long as I get rid of the frinking aliens. _She thought vindictively.

"Ichigo speaking." She said dully.

"Ichigo? Where are you? Aliens have attacked! The girls are having trouble! I expect more-"

"Right, right." Ichigo interrupted angrily. "Excuse me for mourning my murdered mother, fighting aliens is more important."

Ryou sounded surprised. "Wait, what? Ichigo, what happened?"

"Forget it. I'm coming." Ichigo snapped, hanging up on him. She stood up and stared out across Tokyo, seeing a huge chimera animal at a distance. A fresh wave of fury swamped her mind, destroying rational thought. Her home. Now they wanted to destroy her home! She thought they had learn their lesson the last time they tried to defeat her!

_**Kill them all. They don't deserve to live. Kill them all. They don't deserve to live.**_

"MEW MEW HELLCAT, METAMORPHOSIS!" She screamed.

She hurtled out of the building, jumping from skyscraper to skyscraper.

_**KILL THEM ALL!**_

**At the Park**

Kish sighed. Everything was going right for once, they had the mews on the defensive. Then a wave of sheer, heart-stopping terror took hold of him.

"Hello." A cold, measured voice sounded from nearby. Ichigo walked onto the scene, and he did a double-take. Her transformation was quite different. The look on her face was cold killing intent. This was not his kitten. What was going on?

"You're back again." She gave him and Pai a look that was almost like pity. "Did I not make myself clear enough the last few times I fought you off?" She questioned.

"Ichigo?" Mint cried, surprised by her friend.

Pai seemed angered by the question. "We will not leave until we take back this planet!" He shouted.

Ichigo gave him a dark look. Slowly, she draw a long, bladed whip out from behind her back "Then I suppose I'll have to try...a little harder." She said softly. Then she started speaking in another language. "Igne inferiori, auxilium meum." (fires of hell, come to my aide)

Her whip caught fire, burning like the surface of the sun.

The huge, spider-like chimera Pai had created snarled at her. Ichigo swung her whip, striking the ground in front of it. The grass caught fire, surrounding the monster. Ichigo struck it over the head, before retracting her weapon. It melted and reshaped into a sword.

"_**DIE!" **_She shouted, before slicing the chimera animal's head in half.

Ichigo laughed as the Chimera Animal disintegrated into dust. "Take it back! Take it back!" She shouted, talking to no one in particular. "Take it back!"

She whirled on the aliens. "You're weak! You're all so goddamn weak!" She snarled. "You waste my time! If you hadn't been wasting my time, my mother would be alive! You'll pay! You'll all pay!" Her voice held a measure of maddened hysteria.

Kish felt horror bubbling in his stomach. To state the obvious, something was very, very wrong with his kitten. Why had her transformation changed? When they had fought her before, she had been angry, but not murderous.

"Ichigo?" Lettuce called, frightened. Ichigo ignored her friend completely and jumped, lashing out at Pai, cutting across his stomach and setting his hair on fire.

Stunned, Kish grabbed his friend and teleported away. Ichigo screamed a latin curse and ran into the city, jumping across rooftops as she attempted to pick up their trail, leaving the mews standing behind stunned.

"...Ichigo...?"

**Area Unknown**

There was darkness, pure darkness. It was an empty void, apart from a single blood-red gem that hovered in the middle of nothingness.

"It's good to be awake." A voice said. A shadow shifted close to the red crystal. "Although I was hoping to get a better pawn than some silly girl, this could work to my advantage. Train?"

"Yes mistress?" Another voice asked, devoid of emotion.

"Give my new toy some lessons, shall we?'

**End Chapter**

**Yup, I have a new story all kicked off! What's the red gem and who's turning Ichigo into a Hellcat? Is it a person at all? **

**Review please! It helps me get better!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Blood Red Strawberry**

**Me: Hello, I'm back.**

**Hellgirl/Ichigo: It's cold in here, and who the hell is _that _werido?**

**Creed: Hehehe...**

**Me: Oh yeah, him. You'll see. Celestial Moonlight Blade does not own TMM or MMP.**

**Chapter 3: Madness**

**With Ichigo**

Ichigo wandered aimlessly through the city. She had lost the aliens a few hours ago, and she wasn't about to go home. Her legs felt heavy, and she was sleep-deprived. It was almost as if the huge houses were closing in on her.

Her phone had been going off over and over, most calls being from her friends. She ignored them.

_What's happened to me? _

A low hiss sounded in her head.

_Take it back. _

"No...no. Shut up." Ichigo moaned, grabbing her hair.

_Take it back, Ichigo._

She leaned against the alleyway wall, visions of blood flashing before her eyes. Despite the sunlight beaming down at her, she felt colder than ice, bound in darkness although it was the middle of the day.

"Hello Ichigo."

Ichigo jerked around, seeing a young boy walk up behind her, leaning against a nearby dumpster. He was wearing all black, blending into the shadows.

"Who are you?" Ichigo stammered.

"I'm someone who can help you. You can do great things, Ichigo. This entire world could learn to fear you if you put your foot down."

Ichigo shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. _Take back what the ungrateful ones stole from you. _"I don't want that. I lost my mom, and now I'm losing my mind. My friends think I'm crazy. I couldn't protect someone I loved when it mattered the most."

"You can lose more." the boy warned her.

Ichigo blinked slowly. "What do you mean?" She asked dully.

"Your father. Your boyfriend. Your friends. Your planet." The boy answered. "The ungrateful ones will not stop until they take away everything you love. That alien boy will make you his slave when that happens."

Ichigo's cat ears lay flat against her head. "Kish wouldn't do that to me." She whispered. "No one does that to someone they say they love."

"If he loved you;" the boy asked, "why is he trying do destroy your world?"

"I..." Ichigo hesitated.

"If that boy Ryou was concerned about you, why would he keep you away from home, when your mother was in peril?" The boy continued. "Why would your so-called friends demand you fight aliens when you'd just lost your mother?"

"They had no way of knowing-"

"They should have expected it." The boy cut her off. "Fighting aliens all the time? You barely look any different when you transform. It was only a matter of time before your mother would've been killed."

Ichigo gasped. The boy stretched out a hand, pointing at her chest. A dark sphere of energy formed where her heart was. "I know your hatreds, resentments, and fears Ichigo. All these things are possible, and unless these people are stopped it will never end."

"No..."

"You hate them."

Ichigo started gasping. She could barely breathe. Images of her friend's uncaring faces flashed before her eyes.

"Feel the hate, Ichigo." The boy hissed. "Feel the hate..."

"_She's such a loser. I bet Aoyama just feels sorry for her, and that's why he's dating her."_

"_You're late again, strawberry! Can't you be punctual for once?"_

"_Ichigo, you idiot! We almost got killed because you're too busy worrying about Aoyama! Grow up, will you?"_

"_You are so...selfish." _

"_Idiot." _

"_Whore." _

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Ichigo screamed. "I'M DOING EVERYTHING I CAN! I...I HATE YOU!"

The sphere of darkness completely encased her, glowing a bloody red color. Ichigo's eyes widened in shock before they turned a deep red color. Eventually, the darkness receded into Ichigo's pendant, and she dropped to the ground. The boy smirked.

"My name is Creed. The First Evil will be glad to assist you in your defense." He said in a satisfied tone. "Now, let's go find some aliens."

Ichigo nodded, blankly, darkly, and followed him through the alleys without another word.

**At Cafe Mew Mew**

Ryou stared at the transmission Ichigo's pendant was giving off with growing concern. Ichigo's erratic behavior had started just after her pendant started giving off negative energy. He doubted this was a coincidence.

He had picked up a newspaper. Sure enough, Ichigo's mother had been found dead in her backyard just the other day. The man who had killed her was found decapitated not to far from the house, the killer unknown.

A sense of forbidding in his chest, Ryou began to analyze the new dark energy. Either this was a violent streak brought on my her mother's death or something much, much worse.

**With Creed and Ichigo**

Creed casually stabbed the alien through the back. "See, Ichigo? Avoid the beginning lecture and just go straight for the throat. It'll save you about 10 minutes."

He handed her his sword, kicking aside the dead body. "Taste this."

Ichigo silently did what she was told. The blood tasted metallic, rusty. The cat inside her jumped at the taste of fresh prey, while the human side of her jerked away in disgust.

Creed shrugged. "You'll get used to it. They tried to kill you. Show them no mercy."

_Kill them all they don't deserve to live..._Ichigo closed her eyes, the never-ending trail of voices in her head growing louder as Creed spoke. Her face was an expressionless mask, the light in her eyes had gone out, and all-in-all she was acting like a zombie.

Creed raised his head, inclining it towards downtown. "I believe that's our cue." He said lazily. "Listen. Tell me what you hear."

Ichigo listened carefully. Cars, horns, people talking...screaming in the distance. "I hear screaming, far away." She said eventually. Her voice had gone flat, no emotion in it.

"More aliens. Out to kill, plunder, and destroy your world." He leaned over towards her ear. "_Feel the hate, Ichigo. Feel the hate."_

Ichigo's eyes glowed red. "I feel it."

**With the Mews**

Lettuce was just finishing off a Chimera Animal when Ichigo appeared like a bat out of hell, tearing one right in half with her burning sword.

"Ichigo! We've been looking for you!" She cried.

Her relief didn't last long. Ichigo didn't turn to look at her; she bolted past, tearing through another few Chimera Animals before rushing downtown.

"Ichigo." Lettuce muttered, following her. "Ichigo, talk to me."

No response, again. Lettuce saw a shadow trailing her friend, following her every footstep. Ichigo didn't seem to notice this, she just charged straight ahead, unfaltering.

"What is that thing?" Lettuce wondered.

Pai and Kish and Tart were all there. They had Pudding and Mint tied up when Ichigo appeared. The cat girl kept running, straight through the Chimera Animal, spraying blood everywhere.

"Koneko? What's happened to you?" Kish asked, eying Ichigo's outfit.

Ichigo raised her blood-red eyes to him, unblinking. The next second, she was right in front of them, and lashed out with her whip.

Tart was thrown onto the ground, a long slash on his face. Pai was flung into a nearby building, smashing through three walls before coming to a stop. Kish was thrown onto a car, his head denting the roof. He passed out on impact.

Ichigo immediately jumped into the apartment building. Lettuce followed her, her heart hammering.

Pai struggled to get up. Ichigo planted one foot on his neck, pinning him to the ground.

"KU RAI S-" Pai was almost done speaking before Ichigo's whip caught his arm and smashed it into the ground. A sickening crack sent a shiver up Lettuce's spine. The alien's fan went flying out the window.

The whip melted into a sword again. Ichigo raised it up, ready to take out one of Pai's lungs.

"Ichigo, wait!"

The cat-girl spun around, staring at Lettuce. "Wait, Ichigo. This-this isn't like you." The green mew cried. "You said we were the better soldiers-we weren't going to...kill anyone."

Those red eyes stared back at her. Lettuce felt a burning sensation on her skin.

"_**What do you know, it's like I told you Ichigo."**_ Lettuce spun around in a circle. A voice seemed to be coming from nowhere, echoing around the room. _**"One of your best friends is siding with the people **__**who want you dead. Would it be any wonder that she didn't bat an eyelash at your mother's death? You're nothing to these people. They're using you."**_

"It's nothing like that!" Lettuce protested, looking around for the source of the voice. "We don't kill. We're better than that."

"_**They deserve this. Will you stand in the way of this worthless creature's death?"**_ Ichigo's eyes turned a darker shade of red.

"I thought you were my friend, Lettuce." Her voice was rough, as if she hadn't used it in a few days. "Don't you understand that this has to happen?"

"But Ichigo...that's not what you've told me before..."

The eyes blazed, and the sword turned and pointed at her. "I was wrong then. They deserve this! Everyone who does what they do deserves this! So stay out of my way or I'll move you!"

Lettuce was horrified. Her best friend-one of her only friends- was threatening her. "Ichigo. I don't want you to do something you'll regret." She pleaded.

"_**Lies." **_The voice was back. _**"Knock her out, Ichigo." **_

Ichigo hesitated, staring at her old friend.

"Ichigo-" Lettuce started, but then the sword transformed and she had to move. The whip struck the place she had been standing moments before. The room was engulfed in darkness.

"I can't believe you'd betray me." Ichigo's voice floated from somewhere nearby. She sounded genuinely hurt.

"Ichigo, that's not true!" Lettuce yelled, looking for her friend.. The darkness lifted, but Ichigo, Pai and the voice were gone.

**End Chapter**

**That creep Creed is some piece of work. **

**Creed: Well you should know, you're the authoress.**

**Me: Eeek! When did you get in here! Don't make me put you back in THE CLOSET!**

**Creed: NO! NOT THE CLOSET!**

**Review please! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Blood Red Strawberry**

**Me: Hello, I'm back! Here's the next chapter of Blood Red Strawberry! **

**Hellgirl/Ichigo: …(throws a chair at me)**

**Me: Hey! (dodges) Seriously, that's getting old! (ties Ichigo to a chair) **

**Hellgirl/Ichigo: ! ! ! _Celestial Moonlight Blade does not own TMM or MMP!_**

**Chapter 4: Searching in the Dark**

**With Lettuce and Zakuro**

Lettuce was shaking so badly she had to sit down. "I don't understand what happened." She said.

"Ichigo's pendant has been giving off an erratic signal ever since I got her phone call after her mother was killed." Ryou informed them. His tone was grim. "I'm not typically inclined to believe in shadows that brainwash people, but this weird signal seems to be our only lead."

"Have you found the source?" Zakuro asked him.

"I've tried. I only managed to follow it halfway, because whoever's behind this has scrambled the rest of the data within an inch of its life. It could take me monthsto untangle it, and that's time we don't have." Ryou answered, running a frustrated hand through his already messy blonde hair.

"Then what do we do?" Mint asked, pacing back and forth, 'wearing a hole in the floor' as her brother would have said.

"We should start looking na no da." Pudding said. "Maybe we can find clues by following the trail."

Ryou sighed. "Well, we don't have any other leads, so let's go."

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Lettuce stared straight upwards. "This place?"

The mews were standing in front of a giant stone cathedral that looked as though it hadn't been used in years. There were holes in the roof. The doors were hanging on one hinge, and two of the stainglass windows had been broken, like some stupid kid as thrown a rock at it. The stones were grey and cracked. It wasn't very welcoming.

"This is where the data trail ends." Ryou replied.

"Well, than we better have a look, shall we?" Zakuro said, transforming and walking up to the doors. She pushed them open and strolled inside. Everyone else flinched, waiting for hidden enemies to reveal themselves and attack.

But no one came. Slowly, the rest of the mews followed her inside.

The building didn't look any better on the inside than it did on the outside. Most of the pews were broken or covered in cobwebs. Huge black birds fluttered about the broken roof.

"I don't quite see what's so special about this place." Mint said, turning over a dusty pocketbook that had been long abandoned on one of the pews.

Zakuro walked over to a door near the alter and grasped the handle. It swung open, banging against the wall.

Mint, Lettuce, Pudding and Ryou all walked over to her. "I think this might lead us somewhere." Zakuro said nonchalantly.

"Maybe." Ryou stared down the stairwell, uncomfortable. "I can't say I like the looks of it, though."

"We have to go look." Mint said. "Like you said, this is our only lead."

Pudding and Lettuce stared down into its black abyss. It was so dark they couldn't see anything, even with their enhanced vision. A cold wind swept up from the stairs, making Pudding shiver.

Ryou reached into his backpack and drew out a couple flashlights. "All of you, take one of these." He said. "Try to stay within radio contact. If anything goes wrong, double back."

Zakuro took the first step into the dark stairwell. Everyone tensed, but the stair didn't collapse under her feet. "Ryou, you better stay here." She said. "I have a feeling it won't be safe." with that, she turned on her flashlight and began to descend.

Mint swallowed and followed her idol. Lettuce offered Pudding her hand, and the two of them followed with Lettuce bringing up the rear.

%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%

The stairs seemed to go down for hours. The air got colder the further down it went. Mint panned her flashlight along the walls. There were images and words carved into the walls, none of which she understood. The image of a black monster was seen frequently, one time eating a human being.

Mint squeaked and redirected her flashlight onto the stairs.

Lettuce squeezed Pudding's hand comfortingly. "It's okay, Pudding. They're just pictures." She said.

Zakuro remained silent, her flashlight steady as she continued down the stairs.

The only noise was their collective footsteps. Everything else was eerily quiet. "This has gone down far too long to just lead to the basement na no da." Pudding said nervously.

"Ryou? How far down are we?" Lettuce asked, holding her communicator close to her face.

A few seconds later and they got a response. "I can't tell. I followed you to about a thousand feet before I hit some kind of static interference-" suddenly, his voice was cut off, followed by static.

Lettuce stopped walking. "Ryou?" She turned and stared upwards.

The other mews turned around. "I don't like this place." Mint said. "He told us to stay in radio contact. Should we go back upstairs?"

Lettuce began to walk up the stairwell-

-and, as if she had walked right into a brick wall, stumbled backwards, almost falling over Pudding. The green mew rubbed her face and stared blankly at the open space in front of her.

"Lettuce?" Zakuro asked firmly. "What just happened?"

"I-I don't know," Lettuce said. She reached out with one hand to the place where she had been tossed backwards. Her fingers bumped up against something, causing a faint greenish-blue ripple to pass through the air. "I-I think there's some sort of wall here."

"A booby trap na no da?" Pudding asked, clutching her Pudding Ring.

"Probably." Zakuro said. "Regardless, it seems that we have no choice but to go forward. Be on your guard, guys." She started walking again.

The other three girls looked back at the invisible wall, and then followed the wolf mew with much reluctance.

"Is anything else not working?" Zakuro asked.

"My watch has stopped." Lettuce said, checking her wrist. The numbers had halted at 6:45.

"My phone is dead na no da." Pudding said, shaking a orange Iphone up and down. The screen remained black, although she had pushed the power button.

"So's mine." Mint said.

"So it shuts down technology?" Zakuro mused. "But, our pendants still seem to be working...I think someone's been expecting us."

Pudding whimpered. Lettuce gently ruffled her hair. "Let's go meet them, then." She said. "And find out what happened to Ichigo."

**With Creed**

Ichigo hung suspended in a crimson-black crystal. Creed was pacing back and forth restlessly, as if he was waiting for something.

"It's not completed." A voice said suddenly. In the almost completely black room, save a single torch, it was impossible to tell where the voice was coming from. "I cannot break out yet. She still resists me."

"Don't worry, my lady." Creed said. "I will find the link that connects her to this world, and I will sever it. Then, she should be easy to possess."

"Hurry up." The feminine voice growled. "I have not waited ten thousand years to miss my chance because of my host."

"Of course." Creed said. He turned to the crimson-black crystal, reaching out and touching the glass that separated Ichigo from him.

"What is holding you back, Ichigo?" He asked. "Why do you continue to reject my lady's powers, even after what you've gone through at the hands of these miserable creatures?"

Creed reached into Ichigo's memories. He spun through her childhood, which was stained with grief at the memory of her mother. Eventually, he came across a few images.

"Those mews." He grumbled. "I thought I had already dealt with that stumbling block..." His eyes narrowed. "Wait a second..."

_Aoyama-kun asked me out! Horray!_

"Of course. I had forgotten about that human." Creed snorted. "I had just assumed he would cease to be important, like all other high school crushes. I should know not to assume..."

He snapped his fingers. Two shadowed monsters approached the room.

"See this boy? Kill him. And bring me his dead body." Creed ordered.

The monsters vanished. Creed paced back and forth before looking upwards, towards a crystal hanging from the ceiling.

"What's going on?" He demanded.

The crystal shimmered for a moment, and than revealed the four remaining mews reaching the bottom of the stairs and approaching the entrance to the labyrinth.

"Damn it! I told that idiot Mamoru to lock them out." Creed cursed. "Son of a...Mamoru!"

The door swung open, and another man dressed in black shot in. "Yes Creed? How can I be of assistance?"

"Have you fallen asleep on guard duty? AGAIN?" Creed demanded. "The rest of the girl's friends have entered our domain!"

Mamoru blinked. "W-Wha? But I set up the door to lock out humans who tried to enter."

"That's the problem." Creed said crossly. "They're not exactly human-they're part animal, too, now. I should really put you in the Iron Maiden for not staying awake!"

Mamoru shivered. "I-I'm sorry, Creed. Look, they're entering the labyrnth. They'll just get lost and die, like just about everyone else who's gotten past the door."

Creed seemed to relax a bit. "Point...but we can't be too careful, can we? You, take a few of your 'pets' and wait at the exit. If any of them make it through, kill them."

"Oh, bother." Mamoru complained. "Why do I always get the silly tasks?"

"Because you're too incompetent to do the serious ones." Creed snapped. "Now get out there!"

Mamoru snapped a salute, looking frightened. "Of course, master Creed." He turned and whistled. Three more monsters appeared from the shadows. The dark-haired man sighed in relief, and then rushed out to reach the exit to the maze.

**End Chapter**

**And here...we...go. (grins) sorry, I just watched clips from the Dark Knight. Anyway, please review and I'll update soon! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Blood Red Strawberry**

**Me: I'm back!**

**Hellcat/Ichigo: What does she want with me? **

**First Evil: Hehehehehehe...**

**Zakuro: I hate labyrinth...did I ever mention that? **

**Me: No. No, you didn't. I do not own TMM or MMP, let's roll!**

**Chapter 5: Labyrinth of Fears, part 1**

**With Zakuro and the Mews**

Zakuro would have given anything for a flashlight.

There were torches lining the black walls of the labyrinth, but they barely gave off enough light for you to see your toes, much less whatever might attack you from five feet away. The batteries in their flashlights had died, leaving the other mews slightly panicked-how long had they been down here?

All the walls looked the same. For all the wolf mew knew, they had been doing nothing but walking in circles. But there was no point in panicking-it would only make things worse.

"We're lost, Zakuro!" Mint moaned. "How are we going to find Ichigo in this place? We've been walking for hours and we still haven't found the exit, much less our friend."

Pudding screamed. Lettuce rushed over to help her, only to cry out in terror herself. Zakuro walked over to see that they had found several human skulls.

Zakuro shook her head. "Calm down...it's just bones."

"Just bones?" Lettuce asked shakily. "Zakuro, they must have died because they couldn't escape the labyrinth. What if there is no way out? What if we end up like them?"

"There's no point in 'what ifs', Lettuce." Zakuro said gently but firmly. "We're on a mission. We're going to find an exit, we're going to find Ichigo, and whoever's done this to her."

Pudding gulped and nodded. They kept walking.

Mint kept glancing over her shoulder. She could have sworn that there was something following them; but it was almost impossible to tell in this lighting. Nevertheless, she clutched her bow close to her as she held up the rear, not wanting the youngest mew to fall behind.

They came to another fork in the passageway. Zakuro looked to the right and to the left.

"We should have tied some string to the door, like from that Greek myth with the Minator." Lettuce mumbled.

"Gee, maybe you should have suggested that when we were at the door!" Mint exclaimed.

"Shush!" Zakuro snapped. She looked between the walls. "Let's keep going right."

Interestingly, the walls gave way to mirrors the further down they went. Like some sort of sick funhouse. Zakuro looked at her distorted reflection and winced. She looked like a wolfish monster.

Pudding made a squeaking noise as she saw her own reflection, which she flinched away from. Lettuce gently held her shoulders. "It's okay." she whispered, although she sounded rattled herself. "What's wrong with these mirrors?" 

"They're probably traps designed by the creator of this labyrinth." Zakuro replied tensely. "Try not to look at them."

They kept walking. The silence was killing Mint. All she could hear was the sound of their footsteps-

She froze. She could hear not four, but eight sets of footsteps. She turned around and screamed.

Four twisted, monstrous versions of themselves tore their way out of the mirrors, and walked out behind them. The Were-Mint let out a horrid screech that resonated painfully in Mint's head, causing her to collapse. Judging by the cry of agony from Lettuce, she wasn't the only one.

The Were-Lettuce raised her hands, and water flooded the floor, smashing Mint and Zakuro against the wall. Lettuce and Pudding were sent flying down the pathway, into the black distance.

"Mint Arrow!" Mint cried. Her arrow reached her shadow counterpart only for it to pass through it, as though she fought empty air.

Were-Mint replied by firing her own arrow, which cut into Mint like a knife.

What were they going to do?

**End Chapter**

**Cliffhanger! Sorry, couldn't help it. I needed some new ideas for the labyrinth, and this was the first that came to mind. Anyway, please stick around and you'll find out how they can get out of this mess!**

**Read and Review, please! It's how I get better!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Blood Red Strawberry**

**Moon: Hi, I'm back. Feel free to pelt me with pebbles for taking so long to update this. Sorry for the long wait for this chapter, I've been insanely busy for the last little while...school's finally over, and that was the major hangup, so you can expect regular updates now.**

**Ichigo/Hellgirl: (throws chair at me) **

**Moon: And that joke is getting old. (ties her up) **

**Ichigo/Hellgirl: (scratches me) _Celestial Moonlight Blade does not own TMM or MMP. Obviously._**

**Chapter 6: Labyrinth of Fears, part 2**

**With Zakuro and the Mews**

_Were-Mint replied by firing her own arrow, which cut into Mint like a knife. _

_What were they going to do?_

Pudding scrambled to her feet, just under a torch. Were-Pudding approached her, tamberines in hand. Pudding, our of sheer reflex, grabbed the torch and threw it at her disfigured counterpart. Were-Pudding screamed and caught fire, kicking its attacker against the mirror from which it had appeared. The youngest mew whimpered and clutched her pendant. If only there was some light!

Then, a miracle. Pudding's pendant began to glow. A second later, blinding white light engulfed her and dropped her on the ground. The Were-Mews shrieked at the sight of the bright light, tumbling against the floor and releasing their counterparts. Zakuro and Lettuce stood up and watched as Pudding held out her weapons. There was a blinding flash, and with another scream Were-Pudding was gone.

The light was gone, too, leaving a confused Pudding with a glowing pendant. "What just happened, na no da?" She asked.

"They're weak against light?" Mint exclaimed. Were-Mint shook her head, clearing its temporary confusion and lunged. Mint grabbed another torch and thrust it against her counterpart's face. Zakuro and Lettuce were quick to do the same, and they backed the Were-Mews against the mirrors.

Were-Zakuro, Were-Lettuce and Were-Mint screeched in defiance as they melted into the mirrors and vanished.

After waiting a second to make sure that they were gone, the girls turned to their youngest member. "What was that?" Mint asked, pointing to Pudding's mew pendant.

"I don't know na no da," Pudding said.

"A burst of light? Ryou didn't say anything about him having that kind of protocol." Zakuro mused, thinking. She ran one hand through her dark hair as Pudding stood up. The girls looked around, making sure they where alone. "What could it have been? A malfunction?"

"Well, Ichigo's pendant didn't transform her into...whatever her new form is before." Lettuce pointed out. "Maybe it has something to do with her new transformation. Or with whatever or whoever is controlling her."

Mint bit her lip. She was usually the very last person to believe in some supernatural force, but the evidence was undeniable. "Why'd it come out now, instead of when you were confronting Ichigo? Or when we first entered this labyrinth?"

Zakuro pressed two fingers against her temple. "Ichigo must have been very irrational after her mother died...and the transformation happened almost immediately afterwards, from what I've heard from Ryou. Maybe it's something we have to call on in times of great distress. Since we can't just summon it at will."

"You mean, we have to wait for one of our family to die na no da?" Pudding asked, wide-eyed. "I don't want any of my siblings to die na no da!"

"I don't think so, Pudding...since you just used it now. But it's clearly something we have to unlock." Zakuro grimaced. "Come on. Let's keep walking. We're going to find a way out of here yet."

**Much, Much Later**

Zakuro swatted at the bats that flew overhead. There were a number of annoying obstacles that this labyrinth had to offer-one of which was vampire bats.

Mint shot an arrow at them, chasing the last of them off. "I hate bats!" She exclaimed. "I mean, they look cute when you see them in movies, but this? This is just...scary."

"I don't like it here na no da." Pudding said.

"I'd be lying if I said I disagreed, Pudding, but we've got no where to go but forward." Lettuce said, putting a comforting hand on Pudding's shoulder.

**On the surface, with Mayasa Aoyama**

Mayasa Aoyama walked home from school. The girls were driving him nuts. Why wouldn't they leave him in peace? He was perfect, yes, but he wouldn't be very perfect if he got trampled to death by their stampedes!

As he headed down the back alleyway that lead to his street, there was a loud crash. Startled, Mayasa turned around to see a garbage can tipped over.

"Stupid alley cats." He grumbled. "Shouldn't be scaring people like that..." He kept walking, completely oblivious to the shadows following him.

Mayasa didn't walk far before he realized that he was not alone. He turned around...and let out a high, girly scream. Two huge wolflike monsters stood behind him, snarling.

The boy screamed, but it was not enough. The monsters descended on him, snarling and howling and tearing him apart.

The next morning, a couple of girls were unfortunate enough to walk through that alley. When they saw his body, they screamed and ran to their parents, barely able to put to words the horrid mauling that had been bestowed by the wolves of the night.

**End Chapter**

**Baka Mayasa...never, ever walk through a _back alley _in the _middle of the night..._seriously, watch some horror movies. That should have been obvious. Anyway, that was not needless bashing on my part!-Creed wanted him dead so he could drive Ichigo -more- insane and make her loose any chance of becoming sane again, so our secret antagonist can possess her body easily. So there's the reason. (grins like a hyena)**

**Once again, I'm so, so sorry I took so long to update! It's been a crazy busy month up till now!**

**Review Please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Blood Red Strawberry**

**Moon: And that's that! **

**Creed: IT`S TOO BRIGHT IN HERE! LET! ME! OUT!**

**Moon: Gee, let me think...no! You tried to take over my story! **

**Hellgirl/Ichigo: What's this thing doing to me? !**

**Moon: You'll find out soon enough. I, Celestial Moonlight Blade, do not own TMM or MMP.**

**Chapter 7: Edge of the Labyrinth**

**With Ichigo**

Ichigo hung in the crimson sphere, completely immobilized. The darkness had been plaguing her ever since her mother had died, but it had never been as dark as it was right now. There was a terrible rage boiling inside her, like a kettle left to sit too long on a burner, ready to boil over. She was afraid of it; how could she feel that much rage? _I...can't move..._

_Girls...help me..._There was a shifting, and a mocking laugh. Creed. "They aren't going to save you...according to their self-righteous 'code', being willing to kill your opponents makes you a psychopath unworthy of redemption...they abandoned you here because they think you deserve it..."

_That's...not...true..._Ichigo thought desperately. Where were these evil thoughts coming from?

_Is it because...the darkness...holding onto my...soul? _She wondered. _Must get out...get away from here...get back in the light..._

There was a scraping noise as two of Creed's pet wolves appeared in her room. They dropped a bloody, mauled corpse in front of her. Mayasa.

_...No..._

_..._

_..._

_**NO!**_

**With Zakuro and the others**

"hey...look at that!" Lettuce cried. The path took a sudden right and came to a gateway. "We're out of the labyrinth!"

"Horray na no da!" Pudding cheered, before taking off running. Relieved, the other girls picked up the pace. They had been wandering in the crushing blackness for so long Zakuro could practically sense her sanity hanging by a thread. Every second they wasted, whatever happened to Ichigo would get worse and worse.

Huge iron double doors waited for them at the other end. Unfortunately, they were not without guards. Two hulking monsters, and a boy with black hair, were sitting in front of it. The one on the right elbowed the boy sharply; he fell over with a surprised shout and stood up, cursing.

"What was that for? I was enjoying my nap!" He snapped. Then he saw the other mews. "Hey! How'd you get here? You were supposed to wander the labyrinth until you went insane or died!" He complained.

"Sorry to disappoint you." Mint said sarcastically.

"Where's Ichigo?" Zakuro asked coldly.

"Who?" The boy asked.

Incensed, Zakuro lashed out at him with her whip. He yelped and jumped aside. "Do I look like I'm in the mood for games?" She demanded.

The boy jumped up. "No, no you don't." He groaned. "Gosh, you're worse than Creed...why do you people have to take things so bloody seriously?"

_**MAMORU! **_A voice shouted. **_CUT THE CRAP AND DESTROY THEM!_**

Mamoru winced. "See?" He asked accusingly. "Fine, I'll get rid of them. I hate working for you...destroy them!"

**End Chapter**

**... ... ...Okay, they're really is no excuse as to why it took me so long to update this. My only defense is that I started high school, and it is seriously taxing me. I swear up and down I will not continue to let my readers down like this despite my new time constraints. **

**Please read and review.**


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